What Did You Do Well In Your Piano Playing Today? Remember To Congratulate Yourself
Every person who plays the piano no matter at what level needs to keep a reasonable perspective about the learning process and their successes and challenges. One way to keep a healthy perspective about playing the piano is to ask yourself three questions as you work through exercises and repertoire or find yourself performing for a You Tube video or for a live audience. Are you learning to play the piano? Are you taking piano lessons to enhance your skills? Are you studying the piano to play for friends and family and in recitals? Are you playing for your own enjoyment?
Ask yourself
What did I do well?
What can I do differently?
How can I make changes?
The first question, "what did I do well?" is the question that is rarely asked when starting to learn a new skill like playing the piano. This very important question should be asked often during each practice session and especially after a performance. Many beginning pianists can only hear the things that were not performed as they expected or wanted them to be. Reality did not match expectations.
Therefore, it is very important to continually ask the question, "what did I do well?" Every practice session and every performance has something that was done well. But how does one find those accomplishments when the overall performance or practice session did not meet expectations or goals? The beginning pianist must look for and celebrate small accomplishments.
Learning to play the piano involves physical, mental and reasoning skills simultaneously. It is a challenging instrument to play. Thus the absolute need to recognize minute successes are crucial.
For example, the beginning pianist should recognize the successful completion of a thumb under fingering on a scale passage, recognize the successful use of the damper pedal on a difficult sustained passage, recognize that all the correct accidentals indicated by a given key signature were played throughout the piece, or recognize that a definite difference between piano and forte passages was heard. Being attuned to small accomplishments is critical to one's self esteem as a pianist.
As a beginning pianist progresses, the habit of recognizing musical accomplishments should become as much a part of the practice routine as correct fingering, good rhythm and expressive playing. Continually recognizing the good in one's playing develops the important habit of listening to the sounds one is creating.
Only by assessing the sounds one creates in practice or performance can progress be made. Listening to the sounds created then accepting or rejecting those sounds then making the crucial decision on how to change those sounds to something which can be celebrated leads to learning. Continual self-evaluation is necessary for musical growth.
Continual self-evaluation leads to musical growth only if recognition and self-praise for musical accomplishments is done. When good practice habits are developed replete with celebrating small musical accomplishment, good technique develops which leads to superb performances on the piano.
Dr. Jeannine Jordan is a successful piano teacher focusing on the adult learner. Her students play songs in a day. "If you've always wanted to play piano songs quickly and easily join Dr. J at Play Piano Today with Dr. J for a free tutorial."
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